Fabrication of nanopeas with ZnSe-filled SiO(2) nanotube/nanowire configuration

Composite nanopeas with ZnSe nanodots/rods embedded in an SiO(2) nanowire/tube configuration have been fabricated via a simple thermochemistry method. The nanopeas are uniform with an average outer diameter of approximately 80 nm. The SiO(2) nanowires/tubes are amorphous, whereas the encapsulated ZnSe nanodots/rods are single crystalline. Two key experimental factors are identified for the composite nanopea formation, which enables such methodology to be generally applied to a variety of other material systems.